The Crewe Alex 2024 Retained List & Summer Shopping List

Well, I wasn't expecting the retained list to be out so fast. Barely 2 days after the Alex's season has finished, the news of who will be staying, going and who have been offered new terms broke today. There were mostly expected moves, but a couple definitely raised some eyebrows. Let's get straight into the list:

Offered fresh terms

Rio Adebisi

I think it's 50/50 if Rio stays. Maybe his agent has a suitor lined up, but whoever that may be, they'll have to have several hundred thousand ready to spend, as he can't move for free. Does he interest a Peterborough or Bolton or Barnsley perhaps? If his only choices are mid-table L1 clubs, then he might not be going anywhere.

Sadly, I think someone does pony up for him after an ever present season where he contributed 11 goals and assists from LB. I just hope if he does go, it's done quickly and it doesn't drag on into pre-season.

Courtney Baker-Richardson

He divides opinion and I was surprised at how many fans seemed ready to move on. He has value in terms of his defensive workrate and he has scored 17 goals in 2 seasons for the club. But as I said before, if he stays, I'm ok with that. But if finds another club, I won't be that bothered.

Christopher Long

The only offer I vehemently disagree with. A big mistake. Hopefully he has an offer on the table from someone else, but if he stays here, I don't like it at all. I've made my point about his personality and style of play, both of which I find highly distasteful. But it's his injury record which makes this a baffling one. 1 year on reduced terms, fine with me. Hopefully this is a token offer that they know he'll reject.

Elliott Nevitt

Crewe don't keep goalscorers very often. Especially not ones who scored 16 league goals. I don't see him staying as I think a L1 team will offer him good money and with him turning 28 in October, this might be his only chance to play at that level. I wouldn't begrudge him a move, but I would be delighted if he did stay.

Luke Offord

Another who I expect to leave but would be thrilled to see sign on again. However, he'll want L1 football like all his mates from the 19-20 and 20-21 teams got. What position he markets himself as will be interesting though. Is he a CB or a CM? Where does he tell teams he wants to play long term? I'm 99% certain he's gone.

Option triggered

Zac Williams

They didn't announce Williams had an option when he signed his initial contract 2 years ago and anticipated a bit of delay in getting he re-signed. Thankfully this option reduces that issue. I have concerns over Williams' fitness and long term position in the team, but he did take steps this season, so getting him back for 24-25 is good.

Released

Charlie Colkett

He should just retire. He can't enjoy this amount of rehab every 4-6 weeks can he? I doubt he has many suitors. Maybe he pitches up at a non-league club down south?

Zak Kempster-Down

A little surprised at this, but the writing was on the wall when he struggled through 2 loans at Bamber Bridge and Stafford, plus failed to make a league appearance whilst Nathan Robinson did. I wish him well, hopefully a team in the non-leagues can pick him up.

Charlie Kirk

I'm not massively surprised, but this one has the high potential of biting them in the ass. If he signs for a L2 club, gets himself fit and knocks in 15 goals/assists, then the Alex could regret it. Perhaps this was pre-arranged, where he came in for half a season and then left. I wish him luck and think it was a shame it didn't work out this time.

Billy Sass-Davies

He should find a landing spot in the National League. Altrincham, maybe Rochdale or Solihull. Someone will be after a giant like him.

Max Woodcock

A little surprised he wasn't kept for depth, but his small stature counts against him I suspect. I wish him well and hope to see him bounce back in Step 2 or 3 of the non-league pyramid.

Scholars offered professional contracts

Nathan Robinson

I called this one back in March when I did my scholars review. He looks super talented and whilst I don't anticipate him starting many games next season, if he gets a solid 6 month loan under his belt like O'Riordan did, then he could be stepping in towards the end of the season potentially. Definitely one to watch.

Lucas Sant

I wasn't sure on Sant, but they gave him a deal. Is he in the Kempster-Down/Woodcock zone as a player they keep for a year, he doesn't work out and they move on from? Or do they see him as having serious potential to be their long term starting LB. I doubt he plays much in 24-25, but he's one to keep an eye on.

Loan expired

Josh Austerfield, Harvey Davies, Lewis Leigh, Aaron Rowe, Max Stryjek, Ed Turns

I wouldn't take any of them back. Austerfield, Leigh, Stryjek and Turns will be after L1 clubs I'd imagine. Davies, who cares. As for Rowe, I've said my piece on why I wouldn't have him back, even though he's now a free agent. Hopefully another team gets suckered into signing him.

General Retained List Thoughts

There a few things worth mentioning. Whilst I expect Robinson and Sant to sign with no issues, if the other 5 who have been offered contracts reject them, as they could all do, the squad will be just 16 players. To even hit a squad of 25 leaves them needing nearly 10 signings, which given they signed 7 last season will mean Bell has a lot of shopping to do.

Second, only 2 scholars getting deals shows the current graduating crop doesn't contain much potential. Which is fine, but it means we're entering a trough period for producing future stars. They'll have to work with the talent they already have, plus compliment with outside signings well.

Of the 5 who've been offered deals who aren't scholars, I don't see more than 2 of them signing. I think Adebisi, Nevitt and Offord are gone. All 3 will need replacing. Finally, it's interesting to see confirmation(of sorts) that Dave Richards was indeed on a 3 year deal, as his name doesn't appear in the list. However, I fully expect him to be released this summer after he was unceremoniously booted out on loan last summer. But it shows that aside from him, I don't think there is any real deadwood in the squad. Which is a far cry from 12 months ago.

It should leave Bell with a blank slate and plenty of cash to go and strengthen in the necessary areas hopefully.

Summer Transfer Window Shopping List

So then, let's have a look at the squad depth and how it looks today(21st May).

So, where are their positions of need. And more importantly, who might be available?

GK

The Alex need to be in the market for a number 1/2 who can challenge Booth for the number 1 spot. I don't anticipate them throwing much resources at this position, but I also hope they move away from the boom or bust nature of young loanees.

The tricky part is find a half decent keeper who doesn't command a lot of money and will be content with being the backup option to Booth, potentially for the whole season. Jonathan Mitchell, released by Harrogate, could be an option providing he's mostly used as the number 2. Owen Evans, released by Walsall, would also be a decent option to mix in as a starter. Jamal Blackman, released by Burton, is a 3rd potential signing.

There should be a few choices, so as long as they move away from the rookie loanee route, I'm good with it.

RCB

With Connor O'Riordan gone and Offord likely to follow him, it does open up a hole at RCB. Asking Demetriou or Williams to move across to their weak foot side doesn't feel optimal. Do the club see Lewis Billington sliding inside? Or do they prefer him to stay at RB?

Robinson seems unlikely to be asked to fill this spot at this stage. I would hope that they can find a new option in there for the next 1-2 years, someone who carries a large presence in the air to combat the Andy Cook's and Matt Smith's of the division.

If Sam Hughes at Burton could be tempted to drop to L2, I'd take him in a heartbeat. Slightly more realistic options could be Farrend Rawson at Morecambe, Lawrence Maguire, who spent the season at Crawley or Riley Harbottle(Hibs, on loan at Colchester). Chey Dunkley feels like a very ambitious signing, but if you don't ask, you don't get. Lewis Cass and Ben Heneghan at Fleetwood are also possibilities, although I'm less sure about them.

LB

If Adebisi goes, the Alex need to be in the market for a LB, as I think trusting Finney, Williams and Sant to play consistently there is a mistake. A possibility would be Anthony Driscoll-Glennon, who was released by Grimsby. His injury history is a worry, which is why he was released by Artell I'd imagine. Ryan Haynes had similar issues at Northampton, but he could be someone to look at.

I'll be honest, this one was slim pickings, with not many decent options available that I could find. I doubt they have another ever present starter there in 24-25 like Adebisi was and it might have to be starter by committee.

CM x 2

The surprise re-signing of Conor Thomas throws this position into question. With him Powell, Tabiner, Lunt, Holicek and Agius already in the mix, the Alex's midfield looks close to full in terms of numbers. But for me, I think of Tabiner, Holicek and Agius as attacking midfielders who can play further forward. They need at least 1, if not 2, technically minded players to help bolster what was their weakest area this season, especially given Powell's uncertain return to form and Thomas' injury issues.

My main target would be Ryan Croasdale, who was just released by Stockport. He has a few injury issues this season, but missed 4 games in 2 seasons between 2021 and 2023. He's technically minded, experienced and a winner and would slot nicely into the Alex's midfield to compliment Thomas and Powell.

I'd also be looking at Joe Pritchard, although he has had his injury issues. There are 2 midfielders I like at Burton in Charlie Lakin(did well at Sutton on loan) and Jack Powell's brother Joe. A family reunion and opportunity to play together could be a smart move. Gavan Holohan at Grimsby and Ethan Robson at MK Dons, George McEachran at Swindon and Luke Young at Wrexham, all released, are other possibilities.

Like with the CB spot, there should be more than a few options they can look at in the summer, but they arguably need 2 options here, one to replace Offord if/when he leaves and the other to replace Colkett.

WG x 2/3

If they want to play 4-3-3, then finding more quality is important. Even if Long stays, I'm still looking at signing 1 player permanently, then padding out with a 4th via the loan market. If Long leaves, then this rises to 3.

My first target would be Connor Mahoney, who spent this season on loan at Gillingham from Huddersfield. He's had a mixed season with the Gills, but he's from the North West area and his contract is expiring at Huddersfield. His 7 goals and 4 assists in an attack starved team are impressive and whilst I'm sure he has his flaws, I'd still back him as a decent option to play off either side and provide creativity and firepower.

A pipe dream signing would be Theo Archibald at Leyton Orient. I doubt he would drop to this level, but as with others on this list, you don't ask, you don't get. Another wildly optimistic option would be Jack Nolan at Accrington. I doubt they have the financial clout to get him though.

Danny Mayor could be an option. Ok he's 33, but if Fleetwood need to cut costs heading down into L2, they could allow him to leave and he still ranks as one of the best creative players in the lower leagues. An interesting one is if Pete Wild departs at Barrow. I'd be looking at both Ben Whitfield and David Worrall if he does.

ST x 1/2/3

In the unlikely event Nevitt and CBR both re-sign, then this drops down to 1. But they do need 3 out and out strikers. Because when CBR went down, Nevitt had to carry the attacking burden all by himself and if they both return(as I doubt they do), that can't happen again. In the even both leave, then this number climbs to 3.

My semi-realistic target would be Ryan Bowman. Ok, he's getting on in age, but he's proven himself to be a capable scorer in L2 in the past and he's still pretty durable, playing 37 times or more in each of the last 5 seasons. The big plus for me is his ariel ability. Get some good set pieces and services into him and he could be a real asset upfront. He'll have suitors I'd imagine, but if the Alex offer him a decent wage and a guarantee of being their main striker next season, then he could be got.

Jordan Garrick at FGR, if his fitness can hold up, might not be the worst option, but he'd be well down my list. I'd be tempted to look at Omar Bogle, but his injury record scares me. Same goes for Rushian Hepburn-Murphy at Swindon.

A somewhat ambitious target could be Danny Rose at Grimsby, but I don't see Artell agreeing to let him go. Another ambitious target would be Shayne Lavery at Blackpool, but he's probably staying in L1. Same for John Marquis at Bristol Rovers.

On the loan market, Emre Tezgel had a small amount of success on loan at MK Dons this season from Stoke City. Another L2 loan with more game time could be just what he needs to kick on. Another Stoke based youngster who could use a loan move to get experience is England youth international Nathan Lowe. Does Alex Morris feel like doing the Alex a solid and giving him to them for a full season?

Dejaune Brown at Derby had a good spell on loan at Gateshead and he could progress his career with a loan up another division. Joe Hugill made a handful of appearances for Burton on loan from Manchester United. A full season with plenty of appearances might convince United to send him a level lower next season.

Conclusion

We now know who is definitely staying, who is definitely leaving and who might or might not be staying. Lets hope that Bell has set a clear deadline for those out of contract players to decide their futures. He can't have them leaving him or the club hanging, as that will impact the calibre of players they are able to bring in as replacements.

But one thing is for sure, Bell and his recruitment team have a big rebuild on their hands. In the very unlikely event all the offered players stay, he'll need 4 signings minimum. If they start to leave, then replacements for each will be added to the list, on top of the 4 they already need.

It's looking like a busy summer for Bell and co and they don't have a lot of time to get everything done. Let's see what the squad looks like in 11 weeks time.